Movie Man » A bit of excellent movie writing

A bit of excellent movie writing

January 29th, 2009 at 04:30pm Will Pfeifer

From Anthony Lane’s review of TAKEN in The New Yorker…

The first sentence…

”The conundrum posed by TAKEN is as old as cinema itself. Do stars degrade themselves when they take a role in trash, or does their very presence redeem the folly, turning up something that glitters amid the dross?”

And this choice bit…

“Pausing only to borrow a private jet from his ex’s slimy husband, Mills (Liam Neeson) flies to Paris, where he proceeds to work his way, without mercy, through a personal alphabet of undesirable aliens. This being a brisk affair, of little more than ninety minutes, he gets only as far as Albanians and Arabs, but, if I were an innocent Bermudan, let alone a Belgian, I would be starting to get nervous about a sequel.”

Read the whole thing here.

Entry Filed under: Movie review reviews

6 Comments Add your own

1. Brian Michaels | January 29th, 2009 at 4:44 pm

I certainly hope he’s not bad-mouthing TAKEN. I saw this months ago, and it is a great film. Liam Neeson shows us the badass side we rarely get to see. This flick gives the BOURNE films a run for their money.
2. Republican4Jesus | January 29th, 2009 at 11:05 pm

Now that the democrats are in office, we can expect to see more trashy movies without any social value. Taken is the first of many. Only four years to go before we can elect a president that is not going to spend money like there is no tomorrow and we have a Republican back in the white house that understands fiscal restraint.
3. Jerry | January 30th, 2009 at 12:45 am

He is bad-mouthing it and it’s a great article.

But it all comes down to relevance and cash. Neeson hasn’t headlined a major release film for quite awhile. (Since KINSEY maybe?) So he needs to still headline a film for the sake of his career. Not stuck in the “noble second banana” role he seems to take all the time. (See: STAR WARS: EP. I, K-19: THE WIDOWMAKER, GANGS OF NEW YORK, KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, etc.) Also, the studio could probably afford to pay Mr. Neeson his full asking price and did. So why not take the paycheck?

Well I tell you why not. You end up headlining films like TAKEN. Or MEET DAVE. Or DEATH SENTENCE. All complete and banal wastes of time. And all signs that your career as a leading man is in a downward spiral that not even Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger could pull you out of.
4. LD | January 30th, 2009 at 10:17 am

Brian, the US version is rated PG-13, I don’t think he’s reviewing the UK / Directors cut you and I likely saw. Because that version certainly couldn’t be PG-13.

It is a trashy and preposterous movie, but it’s very entertaining and well acted. Think of Luc Besson’s first Transporter movie. If you enjoyed that one, you’ll enjoy Taken.
5. Brian Michaels | January 30th, 2009 at 11:25 am

What the ___ is with the political post??? Doesn’t sem to have any place here.

That being said, I might as well balance it out: “Yay Democrats! Let’s hope a Republican is NEVER back in office!”
6. coffee | February 1st, 2009 at 2:10 am

Taken is a cross between Kiss of the Dragon (Jet Li), Bourne Identity (Matt Damon) and Ransom (Mel Gibson)